Things you absolutely MUST do to be helpful, or maybe you shouldn't
I’ve read a lot of advice for brides on the internet, now as a grown up myself and as you’re a grown up too, I think some of it is perhaps pretty common sense if you want your wedding pictures to look better than average - stuff like don’t walk round with a paper bag on your head all day, don’t forget to put your dress on before you leave the house, try and smile at least once.
Watch out for this trend though (I’ve seen 4 articles already today on the subject), the “morning prep” in advance of your photographer turning up, because let’s face it, you’ve got bugger all else to do on the morning of your wedding have you 🤷♂️
I don’t advise any of this myself, it’s your day, do what you like
1. Get ready in a room that’s got lots of light - Unless your hair and make-up people are bats they’re not going to get you ready in the dark. Light isn’t the only thing that makes a picture, if your favourite room is your living room and the only source of light is a bright red light bulb then you know what, get ready in there, it's your house. Get ready where you want, it’s your day.
2. Have a think about tidying up before your photographer arrives - A pristine house makes for better pictures, so get rid of everything from the house that might not look pretty (so if your gran is particularly wrinkly you might want to put her in the garden, same if you've got a dog that's a bit ugly - get it outside or put in a wardrobe or something). Really though, do you want to be fussing about on your wedding day moving your stuff around? Maybe you should hire a pickerupper for the morning, I'm sure there's someone out there who will quite happily move stuff as soon as you put it down? Worse still, do you want me doing it? (I will just throw things behind chairs or out of a window).
Having to even think about stuff like that on your wedding day in completely ridiculous, some photographers are so focused on making their own jobs easier (or writing stupid blog advice) that they forget the fact it’s your day, you want to enjoy it.
3. Make sure your wedding dress and shoes are easily accessible for a photographer - How many married people do you know? Ever noticed just how many pictures of shoes and wedding dresses hanging in a tree (or off a light fitting) there are around their house, none - yes, none. I don’t know who came up with the ridiculous idea of hanging things in stupid places or putting shoes on a fence with pine cones next to them but...come on! Dresses are meant to be worn, they look much better on you than they do on a hangar.
Lets leave the dress where it should be until you’re ready to put it on.
The Reportage / Documentary wedding approach
This is where a great Documentary or Reportage wedding photographer can make a real difference to your wedding picture life. With the right photographer, there's no need to even think about things like this. Everything is 'as it happens', it's real life, photography about people not things or places. You're left to just get on with your morning (and the rest of your day).
My advice?
Relax, enjoy, have fun. Make the most of every minute of your wedding day. Stuff the photographer (not literally like a turkey), just enjoy the morning.
So, if you want a photographer for your UK wedding who couldn’t care less what you do in the morning (in the best possible way), here I am, yep that's me.
I'm a Cheshire based Documentary Wedding Photographer covering the UK, Europe and beyond. If you're looking for a completely relaxed wedding photographer with a unique approach to photographing weddings then you've just found one. I'm also rather funny and quite good at eating bacon butties (and making sure you don't feel awkward about your wedding pictures).
I've recently been asked to feature on shotkit, a gathering of the worlds best photographers, which was quite nice. So yeah in a few circles I'm considered one of the best wedding photographers in the UK (and the world apparently) - I'll take that.